


Half-Empty

by DanaFox1013



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Pre-X-Files Revival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 01:04:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5892160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaFox1013/pseuds/DanaFox1013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A very short piece I wrote based on Mulder's "fell off the wagon" comment in "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster". </p>
<p>Set around a year prior to "My Struggle".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half-Empty

At 4 pm she stands by the front door of the unremarkable house, pulling on gloves and boots and the warmest coat she owns. 

“You going out?” 

Mulder's voice drifts across the room from where he's sat on their couch flicking through the channels without stopping on anything. Looking over she spots the half-empty beer bottle on the coffee table. She's trained herself not to count the empties on the floor anymore. 

“Yeah.”

“Where?”

Scully sighs, allowing the run of her zipper to mask the sound from his ears. 

“I'm walking Dr. Johnson's dog.”

“She can't walk her own dog?”

“She's nine months pregnant. Sciatica.”

“Oh.”

She watches him take another deep pull of the beer. The bottle is almost empty but she knows there is more where it came from. Lately, there's always another bottle. She focuses on finding her keys to push the thought from her mind.

“Why have you only started walking it now?” he asks without turning to face her. “It's kinda late isn't it? If she's already nine months.” He doesn't wait for an answer. “Oh, I haven't seen this one yet.” He cranks up the volume on the TV. 

She looks over once more at the back of his head, not even noticing whatever show he's found to ignore her with. They've all blurred into one. 

“I've been doing it every day for six weeks,” she whispers under her breath as she quietly opens then closes the door behind her, “you just never noticed me leaving.”


End file.
